


Staring At The Sun

by moo_lan



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji Is So Done, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Battle, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou are Bros, Demon Hinata Shouyou, Demon Kageyama Tobio, Fantasy, Hinata Shouyou Protection Squad, Humor, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Kuroo Tetsurou Is A Cat, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Good Friend, M/M, Mage Kozume Kenma, Magic-Users, Mentioned Haiba Lev, Mentioned Hinata Natsu, Non-Graphic Violence, Secrets, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, bokuto is cupid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 6,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23201014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moo_lan/pseuds/moo_lan
Summary: Kenma has only been trying to get by as a mediocre but smart mage with his best friend Kuroo by his side.He certainly hadn't been meaning to be caught up in a plot to overthrow the Heavens, but when the Sun tell you that he's going to take down Heaven, well, you tend to go with the flow.ON HIATUS
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou, Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 34
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> the fic in which Hinata and Kageyama are actual demons this time in the Karasuno gang; karasuno trying to take down the heavens because _how dare they make a cinnamon roll like Hinata a demon_ ; bonus, kozume kenma hiding a hugeass secret that could probably doom them all
> 
> kuroo might seem a bit OOC at first, but only until he opens up so pls bear with me.
> 
> fic inspired by the song "Staring At The Sun" by the Offspring (well actually there's another song that's more accurate but it's kind of a spoiler? so i'll mention it in the notes at some point)

“What’s taking him so long?” hissed Kenma to himself as he stood up and then sat back down again, fidgeting with the contraption he had constructed in one of the few peaceful days they’d had this week.

He glanced up the street, which was suspiciously devoid of Kuroo.

Huffing again, he turned his head again towards the small device he was holding, only to start as he found golden-brown eyes staring at him. A small boy his age was standing on the side of the street; he started heading towards him as soon as their eyes met and Kenma seriously debated running for it just then.

It was only when the boy opened his mouth to speak that the blonde noticed the small fangs peeking out of his gums and the poorly-hidden horns sprouting from his head.

 _Demon,_ realized Kenma.

“Whatcha playing there?” chirped the demon as if they were old friends. 

Kenma did not know what to say to that. Kuroo had repeatedly told him not to talk to strangers, especially demons, lest their secret get out. That would be _bad_.

However, it seemed that the boy-demon was ready to keep the conversation going by himself.

“Did you make that?” he took Kenma’s answering nod as an encouragement to go on. “That’s so cool! I wish I was able to do things like that, y’know? I’m not good with things like that at all; but I am good at volleyball! Do you play volleyball?”

Kenma surprised both himself and the boy by answering affirmatively.

The conversation somehow managed to flow from there, the demon introducing himself as Shouyou Hinata and telling him about his scarily aggressive best friend. Kenma told him his first name, thinking that since Shouyou did not know his family name, the chances of his identity being discovered were pretty small.

However, their conversation was soon cut short.

“DumBASS HINATA!” a yell resounded and suddenly Shouyou froze, his expression terrified.

“...Kageyama’s here,” he smiled, resigned as a black-haired demon lunged for him and grabbed him by the collar.

“Who’s this?” inquired a silver-haired boy, head peeking out from behind Kageyama.

“Sugawara-san… help…”

After pulling Kageyama off Hinata, the orange-haired demon introduced an out-of-his-depth Kenma to everyone in his group.

Kenma severely regretted not running away when he’d had the chance.

Oh, Kuroo’ll _murder_ him.

Just as he thought of the black-haired metaphorical devil, a call made him turn his head to see his friend walking towards him. He was mad, but his grin usually managed to fool everyone except Kenma.

“Kenma, we need to go, Tokyo is a full day of walking from here,” he smiled, the view probably friendly to the Karasuno ensemble, but scary to those they knew well, especially Lev.

Kenma’s heart clenched as he recalled the friends he’d left behind.

“We’re going there too, wanna come with?” said Hinata from behind Kenma, bringing him out of his trance.

The blonde glanced at Kuroo, who just shrugged.

“Sure, why not. Why’re you going to Tokyo, though?”

Hinata grinned fiercely, his fangs poking out of his mouth in a way Kenma definitely did **not** find cute.

“Us? Well, _we_ are going to take down the Heavens!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what?? new chapter the next day??

The group decided to continue their journey the next day, setting up a small camp to spend the night in; that was how Kuroo and Kenma found themselves spending their night with the Karasuno travelling band.

The next morning, they set off at first light. Kenma scrunched up his face as the blinding sunlight woke him up not-so-gently. He cast a quick spell to wake himself up, but it didn't work that well. The main reason was probably that he was quite distracted by the orange-haired young demon staring at him from behind a tent. Shouyou yelped as they made eye contact, probably surprised that he'd been spotted.

"Whatcha doing here, Kenma?" he chirped, walking towards the blonde and plopping down on a tree stump next to him.

“...a spell,” he replied, instantly defensive as the conversation drew near a subject he'd rather not breach.

Hinata seemed to notice his bristling, taking initiative and steering the conversation to safer waters.

“So, where you gonna go after we reach Tokyo?”

Or, not that safe waters.

Taking notice of Kenma's expression, the boy continued speaking in an attempt to get his new friend to make a pleased expression for once.

“You and your friend could stay with us, y'know.”

Without meaning to, the young mage instantly cheered up. Hinata noticed this and grinned; he opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Daichi, who hollered that they were leaving in a couple of minutes.

The two got up and followed the rest of the group.

Kenma found himself next to Kuroo, who gave him a lop-sided grin that spelled trouble.

“So, you're getting along awfully well with Chibi-chan,” he said in a sing-song tone, grin never faltering.

Kenma did not dignify that with a response. Instead, he stared straight aside, where he noticed something that instantly drew his attention. A boy with black-and white hair was sitting with a brown-haired companion at the corner of a street, the former grinning widely. Was that...

“Is that Cupid?” exclaimed Hinata, pointing towards the boy.

“Ohoho, what have we here? Who are you, young demon?” greeted Bokuto, smile warm and friendly.

Shouyou seemed prone to exploding just then from sheer enthusiasm alone.

Bokuto's gaze wandered and that was when he noticed Kuroo and Kenma in the back of the group. His eyes widened.

“Kuroo, my bro! Kenma! What are you two doing here, aren't you supposed to be-” he was interrupted by Kenma kicking him in the shin.

“Kenma? You know Cupid?” asked Hinata, who had finally calmed down.

“Me and Kuroo used to work with Bokuto and Akaashi sometimes,” replied Kenma, trying to keep his response vague and prying-proof.

“That's so cool!” exclaimed Hinata, face bright with enthusiasm.

Bokuto puffed out his chest, his for-now invisible wings hitting Kuroo in the shoulder as he fidgeted with pent-up energy. Kuroo rubbed his shoulder and said nothing.

“Bokuto-san, we should get going,” said Akaashi from behind Cupid, holding a cup of coffee and apparently completely done with his job.

Bokuto's eyes flicked between Kenma and Hinata, the latter staring not-so-subtly at the former, and the blonde having befriended someone of his own initiative for once. Cupid's ever-present grin widened as his instincts told him of what was going on there, or rather, what will be going on there in the future. He _really_ wanted to be there when ~~little~~ Kenma got his first crush.

He turned to Akaashi and spread his arms wide.

“Akaashi, you need a break. Let's take a vacation!” he declared.

“Now?” asked the brunette, eyebrows arched. He knew there was no arguing with Bokuto, but _still_. “That's a bit sudden.”

Bokuto shrugged and Akaashi sighed.

“OK, let's take a vacation.”

Bokuto pumped his fist victoriously and he was instantly deep in conversation with Hinata, who was vibrating with excitement so much that Kenma was afraid the boy would explode.

Kuroo nudged him and they joined the group as they resumed their walk towards Tokyo.

The blonde stared at the laughing Hinata and smiled. The orange-haired boy noticed and mirrored his expression, Kenma's chest suddenly painfully warm under his friend's cheerful gaze.

Maybe his immortal life wouldn't be that bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have the feeling this fic will take over my life


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so short i'm adding it the same day as ch 2

They were walking towards Tokyo when an idea crossed Kenma’s mind. Unable to shake it off, he hurried his pace to reach Hinata, who, upon noticing him, looked at him and smiled widely.

“Shouyou, how _are_ you planning to take down Heaven?” he asked, ignoring how Bokuto’s eyes flicked to them when hearing him.

“I’ll just wing it,” shrugged Hinata, expression aloof.

“ _Shouyou_ ,” insisted Kenma, hoping that it was a joke.

“Just kidding!” he laughed, returning the blonde’s heartbeat to normal. “I’ll just request an audience with the Archangel and try to convince them to remove the demon part in me.”

“Why?” blurted Kenma before he could think what he was saying. Hinata looked at him, confused. “Why don’t you want to be a demon?”

Hinata laughed, but the sound had no cheer in it.

“I just want to be able to do normal stuff, like playing volleyball or talking with people, without being rejected just ‘cause I look like-” his hand did a sweep from the top of his head to his chin “-this.”

 _I like how you look,_ thought Kenma, but the idea confused him so he did not say it.

The fact that people rejected Hinata just because he was a demon did **not** sit right with Kenma; the feeling was starting to unfurl in the back of his throat and spread in his whole body, like a parasite telling him to protect his newfound friend.

He would need to do something himself if Shouyou did not succeed in becoming a non-demon.

He would have a chat with Heaven, should the need arise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there are **so** many hints regarding what Kenma's secret is, i'm interested if any of you will figure it out!(my sister got it in like 5 seconds so it's probably kinda obvious)  
> tell me your theories in the comments section! i won't say if you're right or wrong, ofc (we don't give spoilers in this house), but comments always make me happy!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Archangel Alexander is invented cause i did not want anyone to feel affronted. i will not use any real saints so ppl wont be bothered

It was late afternoon when they reached Heaven’s entrance.

Hinata hesitated in front of the golden gates, horns startlingly black against the blinding white of the clouds surrounding them. They were unnaturally pure and Kenma’s head was starting to hurt because of it.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Hinata gripped the handle and opened the doors to Heaven, hinges well-oiled and silent. They started walking among the clouds and temples and soon reached a waiting room, where a bored-looking young angel monotonically welcomed them. He was in the middle of his greeting when his eyes stopped on Hinata’s horns and fangs and his mouth fell open.

Kenma was beginning to be glad that they had left Kageyama outside. _Two_ demons would’ve given the angel a heart attack.

“Hello there,” chirped Hinata, smiling brighter even than the heavenly atmosphere surrounding him.

“H-hello,” replied the secretary-angel, at a loss for words. Obviously, he’d never met a polite demon before.

“I’m here to request an audience with an Archangel please,” continued Shouyou, his smile as pleasant as ever, daring the man to refuse him.

The angel gulped and nodded. He pressed a button, and a tall man came out of a hidden door Kenma hadn’t noticed before.

“Hello there, my name is Archangel Alexander and-” he stopped speaking as he noticed the nature of his guest. He opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes subconsciously flicked to Bokuto and Akaashi, who nodded. The Archangel swallowed and gestured for Hinata and his ensemble to enter the room. “Come in, please.”

Archangel Alexander sat down behind a large, golden desk and motioned for Hinata to seat down in the chair across from him. The boy did so, careful not to touch the desk, lest it be holy and burn his demon skin.

“So,” the Archangel leaned forward, enlacing his fingers and supporting his chin with the back of his hands “what can I do for you, _demon_?” he said, hissing out the last word.

“I would like you to delete the demon part of my nature,” declared Hinata with no hesitation.

Kenma felt pride blooming in his chest. The Archangel burst out laughing; he glanced at him and quickly looked away, back to the demon in front of him. Hinata’s expression made him pause his laughter.

“Oh, you’re serious?” smiled the Archangel, but his smile was strained and it looked more like a baring of teeth to Kenma. He opened a dusty tome in front of him, the cover slamming noisily against the desk. “Well, the standard procedure for this is for you to take twelve trials, each deadlier than the last.”

Hinata inhaled sharply, but his resolve did not falter.

Kenma was standing directly behind Hinata, so when the Archangel smirked, it seemed to Kozume that the gesture was directed at him.

“But since you have such,” continued the Archangel, glancing at Akaashi and Bokuto, “good recommendations, I’m willing to cut it down to five.” He held up a palm to support his statement. 

Both Kenma and Hinata let out breaths they hadn’t realized they’d been holding in.

“This is my verdict: You, young demon, shall undertake five trials. If you prove your good nature and the lack of a demonic side, I, Archangel Alexander, shall erase your demonic side and make you truly neutral, as a human would be.” A smile. “An immortal one, that is.”


	5. First Trial

Hinata Shouyou, once promising high school student, but not anymore; he was hunched over on the side of the street, scrounging for scraps of food among the leftovers thrown away by the restaurant.

He hadn’t eaten in a week and a half. He would soon reach the final stages of starvation and become unable to move.

A glimpse of golden brown among the trash caught his attention; grinning triumphantly, he pulled out the only slightly moldy loaf of bread and ripped a corner of it. He was just about to eat it, when he was stopped by a low and distant sound of crying.

Hinata had been trying to shove down his sense of pity since he’d become homeless all these years ago. It would only cause him problems, he knew. But he could not stop himself from heading down the street towards the source of the sobbing.

A young boy and his toddler sister were sitting on the damp ground, their clothes tattered and colours long faded. The girl was hugging her stomach, wailing as her brother tried to soothe her by rubbing her back.

Hinata would die if he did not eat soon, he knew.

Still, he did not hesitate as he walked up to the two children and handed them the measly loaf of bread he had found. It would not be enough to save him from starvation, anyway. These kids still had a chance.

The two children looked up at him with wide and hopeful eyes.

He managed to smile before the world went black.

The black ebbed back from his field of vision and he found himself in the Archangel’s office, seated in the chair in front of his desk.

“Just because you won one of the trials does not mean you are pure, demon. Do not rejoice,” the Archangel scoffed, arms crossed.

It took both Daichi and Asahi to keep Sugawara from lunging for Archangel Alexander.


	6. Second Trial

Hinata Shouyou, college graduate and physician; he was seated at his desk in the hotel, putting the finishing touches on his doctoral thesis. It was the only copy of it, as he terribly feared plagiarism. This was his only shot at a PhD; the documents he was holding were his most precious possession. He would not be able to replicate them, he knew.

Sighing, he pushed back his chair and stood up; he stretched his arms above his head, popping his spine.

He had just gone out of the room to get a drink from the hotel’s bar, when the smell of smoke permeated his senses.

_My thesis,_ was his first thought when he realized that smoke also meant fire.

Panting, he darted up the stairs, heart hammering at the thought of something happening to his precious documents.

He had reached the hallway, when suddenly a wooden beam collapsed and a fiery mess engulfed the hallway. A cry startled him and, eyes wide, he turned around to see an old man caught under a fallen cupboard, voice feeble and hand outstretched towards him.

Pushing aside the thought of his now unattainable degree, Hinata did not hesitate in his decision to save the man instead of getting his thesis. The man’s soot-stained face was tear streaked as Hinata took his hand and pulled him out.

“Thank you,” he murmured, his hand tightly gripping Shouyou’s.

The smoke abruptly turned too thick to breathe and Hinata fell-

-fell back into the Archangel’s chair.

The Archangel managed a tight smile, while Nishinoya cheered and bumped him affectionately.

Hinata grinned.

On to the next trial.


	7. Third Trial

Hinata Shouyou, highschool student and huge fan of equitation; he was sitting at his desk at school, happily thinking about the money he had managed to save. He nearly had enough for the horse he’d been wanting.

Hushed voices made him turn his head. Two girls were standing at another desk, whispering not-so-quietly.

“Have you heard about Yama-chan?” one of them inquired, palm placed next to her mouth but not muffling any of the noise.

“Yes, it’s horrible! I couldn’t believe it at first!” nodded another, eyes red-rimmed from crying.

“She really needs the money if she is to undertake the operation.”

“I know, but I don’t have anymore to give…”

“And nobody else except us donated…”

When he reached home that afternoon, Hinata sat down at the foot of his bed, holding the envelope with the money he’d saved.

He kissed his dreams goodbye as he donated all of it to his sick classmate.

The smiling face of her mother made all of it worth it, realized Hinata as he handed her the money. His vision turned blurry with tears as the woman embraced him.

And then his vision cleared up and the woman was suddenly Sugawara, who fiercely hugged him, chuckling and proud.

“Well done, Hinata! You passed the third trial, only two more! You can do it, I know it!” Sugawara encouraged him.

Hinata smiled, fangs peeking out and making it hard for the Archangel to force himself to mirror the expression. This was going surprisingly well for the demon. He actually found himself rooting for him.

Two more trials and the demon wouldn’t be demonic anymore.


	8. Fourth Trial

Hinata Shouyou, ordinary 20-year-old; he was taking a walk, taking advantage of the unusually beautiful weather, when a low growl caught his attention.

A stray dog was facing a small boy, gums exposed as growls escaped its snout. The boy was trembling, letting out a whimper as the dog took a step closer.

The dog lunged; Hinata did not hesitate. He jumped in front of the boy, letting the dog bite him and then grabbing it by the scruff of its neck. It went limp in his grip.

“Thank you, mister,” breathed the boy, finally relaxing. “You should take him to the pound, so he doesn’t attack anyone else.”

“Oh, I don’t think I will,” murmured Hinata, smiling at the animal. “He’s just scared. I’ll take him in and teach him that it’s not OK to bite.”

He held out a hand for the dog to sniff. It hesitated, then licked his palm, tail wagging and demeanour turned friendly.

The boy laughed, the sound transitioning to someone else’s laughter.

Nishinoya was next to him, hand on his hips as he guffawed.

“That’s my kouhai for ya!” he exclaimed, ruffling Hinata’s hair and paying no mind to the horns peeking out of it.

“Can you guys see what I do?” asked Hinata, leaning into his senpai’s touch like an affectionate cat.

Kenma nodded and Hinata grinned; the action spoke for itself:

_Then, watch me as I win the final trial._

The blonde smiled and it did strange things to Hinata’s stomach. It was a challenge:

_Show me what you can do then, Shouyou._


	9. Fifth Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !IMPORTANT NOTICE! warning for non-graphic domestic violence in this chapter  
> if this kind of thing bothers you, skip to "The silence in the kitchen was as tense as that in the Archangel’s office."

Hinata Shouyou, 20-year-old neighbour of an abusive father; he had not known for the first year he’d lived next to the motherless family, the father hiding it very well and the children too afraid to say anything.

It was when he was walking down the hallway of the apartment building one evening, that he noticed that something was amiss. The door was wide open, and he could hear sobbing from inside, accompanied by muffled yells. Before he could stop himself, Hinata stepped into the room to be greeted by a powerful smell of vomit, stale air and alcohol. 

He headed towards the source of the crying and entered a kitchen, where he found one of the girls who lived there backed into a corner, eyes filled with tears and voice hoarse.

“Daddy, please don’t,” begged the 10-year-old as the man in front of her kept approaching.

He was clearly drunk, swaying on his feet as he approached her.

“It’s _your_ fault,” he slurred, pausing to hiccup. “You look too much like that bitch of your mother. How **dare** she leave and not take you, bastard children, with her!”

Without warning, he lunged for the girl, his hands gripping her throat and tightening their hold. The girl was being strangled, realized Hinata when her breaths started coming in short gasps and she feebly clawed at the man’s hold.

Hinata’s body moved without his accord.

He grabbed the nearest knife and stabbed the man in the back. Repeatedly. Until he was on the ground, a pool of blood forming around him. 

The silence in the kitchen was as tense as that in the Archangel’s office.

No regret bloomed in Hinata’s chest, but a sinking feeling told him enough for him not to be surprised by the Archangel’s next words.

“I guess I don’t need to tell you that you failed the last one,” said Archangel Alexander, torn between feeling bad and feeling nothing at all.

Hinata was silent, staring down at his clean hands. Clean, but not really. Never really clean ever again; it might have been an illusion, but the decision had been real.

Looks like he was an actual demon after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment maybe?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a shortass chapter cause when writing my chapter scheme i wasn't planning on a discussion only being like 300 words only.

They were heading down from the gates of Heaven when Kenma finally gathered the courage to ask Hinata what had been bothering him for some time now.

“Shouyou, are you sad? Do you regret it?” he inquired, only looking at the demon with the corner of his eye.

“Nah,” he replied, seemingly unaffected until his gaze suddenly turned vicious. “I may not be the ‘good’ that Heaven wants, but I believe my principles are right.” He grinned. “I am my own kind of just, and Heaven can try to stop me if they dare.”

He laughed, but it was mirthless and empty of humour, instead full of a feeling Kenma could not name and did not necessarily want to.

“They can try, but if they do I will bring them to their knees,” he said, so different from his usual cheery self. Kenma realized that he was being trusted with a side of Shouyou not many saw.

He could only hope nobody noticed how he had shuddered at the threat.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow this chapter is _very_ short hahaha ~~i'm sorry~~

Kenma did not know exactly how he had ended up playing volleyball with Shouyou, but he was getting tired and it had only been four tosses. He glanced at Kageyama, hoping for some help from him; the boy nodded and approached him, replacing Kenma in the game.

The blonde sat down on one of the blankets spread on the ground and was soon joined by Kuroo, who grinned although his eyes were serious; in order to maintain the facade in front of Karasuno.

“So, how long are you going to keep this charade going?” he asked, the smile still on his face though his tone left no room for humour. “We should’ve left a long time ago. Since we saw Chibi-chan was a demon, so pretty much from the beginning.”

“I know.”

“If they find out-”

“ _I know._ ”

Kuroo said nothing, already clear between them that it was up to Kenma when they would leave. He sighed and stood up, walking over to Bokuto and leaving Kenma to sit alone on the blanket and watch Hinata play volleyball.

Though he was scared, he couldn’t bring himself to leave Karasuno behind.


	12. Chapter 12

It was morning when it first happened. It was pretty much harmless that time, Hinata only losing control of his powers enough for a blanket to catch fire and scare Yachi out of her wits. Kageyama only let out a spark, nothing more.

The second time it happened, Hinata dropped a whole pot of soup through a shadow in the ground; that pot was never seen again. Kageyama did not suffer any accidents.

It started getting more and more serious. When a wolf started bringing Hinata dead animals three times a night, Sugawara and Daichi decided it was time for them to talk to an expert.

“What should we do? Go to a normal physician? We’d just scare him…”

“We could visit Takeda-sensei and ask him.”

“Nah, he’d just get stressed and I don’t feel like getting chased by Ukai-san again.”

A shudder.

“Then, maybe we could visit the Date Tech physicians? I’ve heard Aone has started specializing in these kinds of things since he and Hinata became friends.”

And so, they ended up walking to Miyagi to see Aone.

Hinata bounced ahead, his form sometimes flickering to black noise. Other times, his edges faded out and his silhouette flickered horribly, sometimes disappearing altogether. Although Sugawara worried terribly and was constantly by his side, Shouyou did not seem bothered by what was happening, sometimes appearing amused by what his body was undergoing.

Kenma was worried that the trip to Heaven had affected him more than he’d let on.

Maintaining a hurried pace, they reached Miyagi as the sun was starting to hide behind the horizon. A door opened and Hinata laughed, darting towards the white-haired boy who had showed up in the doorway. Shouyou had almost reached him, when he suddenly keeled over, his form flickering worse than usual. 

He gasped painfully; the moment was soon over and he straightened his spine, smiling as if nothing had happened. Aone grunted in greeting.

“I assume that’s what you’re here for,” said Futakuchi from behind Aone. He motioned for them to come in.

After a few routine check-ups, Aone grunted.

“The problem is that both Kageyama and Hinata are now going through what we call ‘demon puberty’,” clarified Futakuchi. “They’re developing their demonic powers, so if they reject their nature, things can turn…” he glanced at Hinata’s once more flickering form “...bad.”

“But I _have_ accepted my nature!” exclaimed Hinata, strangely angry.

Or not that strange, realized Kenma, considering what the boy had just gone through in the last of the trials.

As they headed out of the house, Hinata sullen and Kageyama cool and unconcerned. At least someone had partially accepted his nature.

“How am I supposed to confront my true nature when I don’t eve know what do to,” grumbled Hinata, kicking a pebble and then freezing in pain as his form turned to black noise again.

“...I might have an idea where we could go,” murmured Kenma, averting his gaze as the group’s attention turned to him. “But they don’t like crowds, so it should be only me, Kageyama and Shouyou.”

He took a deep breath, disbelieving that he was actually going there of his oown accord.

“And I’m warning you, they are… _weird_ ,” he said.

“Don’t worry, we can handle weird,” smiled Hinata, nodding at his outstretched, flickering, arm.

Kenma certainly hoped so.


	13. Chapter 13

Flickering lights danced in the humid air of the forest as Kenma, Hinata and Kageyama stepped inside. The pair of demons were looking around them in amazement; one of them openly awed, the other more discreetly impressed.

“Uwaah!” exclaimed Hinata, spinning around as he tried to see as much as possible at once. “This is so pretty!” He turned to look at the blonde. “How did you find this place, Kenma?” he asked, eyes wide and innocent.

_Silent footsteps, dark shadows and blinding, charring, smirks._

_“ **So, you need my help, little Kenma?”**_

Kenma shook his head, banishing the memory. That had happened a long time ago; it was fine.

Everything was going to be fine.

“I’ve heard of it from an old acquaintance of mine,” he vaguely replied. A white lie, but innocent enough for him to only feel vaguely guilty.

Hinata nodded, not prying; instead, he viciously poked Kageyama in the side and pointed out to him a glowing mushroom on the side of the trail. Before they could start heading towards it, Kenma put his hand on Shouyou’s elbow and stopped him.

“Don’t leave the trail,” he said, fighting the urge to just leave it at that. You’d think that his anxiety would’ve gotten better after a week, but sadly it wasn’t that simple. “There are spirits here who would love baiting you to their lair to take you apart and see just where your powers come from.”

Hinata gulped and moved to the centre of the trail. Kageyama seemed unimpressed, but Kenma already knew him well enough to tell that the demon was actually pretty scared.

“Let’s go,” the blonde murmured and started walking.

They were lucky and did not encounter anything or anyone as they walked deeper and deeper into the forest. The lights around them started getting more restless, flying into their faces and one of them getting tangled in Hinata’s hair.

When the boy managed to get it out, the light in his hand turned out to be a small pixie; unafraid, she giggled and kissed the tip of the demon’s nose, then hastily flying out of reach and getting lost among the swarm of her sisters.

After a few more minutes of walking, the trees started getting more crowded, until Kenma stopped and sat down on a tree stump, gesturing for them to do the same.

“Now we wait for them to turn up.”

It took a while, but their entrance was certainly noticeable. First, the trio heard the laughter. Then, a rustle of leaves and the trees _moved_ out of the way as a group of energetic faeries came into the clearing.

They stopped their laughter as soon as they noticed them.

“Well well well, what have we here?” one of them said, blonde hair flicked back from his face and toothy grin revealing a piercing in his tongue. “Two demons and-” An amused narrowing of eyes and a chuckle. “Oh, they don’t know?”

Kenma stopped breathing for a moment, then just openly glared at the faerie. He just lifted his hands defensively and one of his companions laughed, bumping shoulders with him.

“Terushima, you’re making them uncomfortable!” the companion chuckled. He leaned forward and stared unblinkingly at Hinata, who fidgeted, but maintained eye contact. “Why’re you here, little demon?”

“...confront my true self,” grumbled Hinata, looking away and pouting.

The faeries laughed and shuffled on the spot, full of energy. Another pulled in front, eyes sparkling, but Terushima pushed him back, grinning.

“Let me have this, it seems interesting,” he told his companion, his smile never faltering. He turned back to the two demons. “You wanna accept your true natures, huh? Well, no worries! I’ve got the best idea!” he exclaimed, grinning.

The others cheered and jumped around, one of them, a fairy instead of a faerie and therefore the only winged one, flapping his wings restlessly and showering all his companions with fairy dust.

Terushima, grin widening, snapped his fingers.

With a loud groan, the ground cracked in half and Kenma and the demons fell inside.

The ground returned to normal, the crack never appearing to have happened except for the trio’s absence.

-*-

When Misaki met up with the rest of the group of faeries, one look was enough for her to tell what had just happened there.

She lunged for Terushima and loudly smacked the back of his head.

“That wasn’t necessary!” she yelled at the faerie, gesturing at the _barely_ visible crack in the ground.

“It will work well enough though, won’t it?” he smiled, rubbing the painful spot.

Misaki just sighed and covered her face with her hands.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when reading this chapter i recommend listening either to 'tourniquet' by breaking benjamin or 'ardlandia' by foo fighters. the chaos is perfect for what you are about to read

When opening his eyes, the first thing Kenma noticed wasn’t the fog, the eerily bright sky or the trees surrounding him. No, the first thing he noticed was the scent that surrounded him. He rolled over on his side and fiercely blushed when he came face-to-face with the source of the pleasant smell; Hinata smiled at him and sat up, oblivious to what was going through Kenma’s head.

“Where are we?” asked Kageyama from next to Hinata, head turning as he tried to take in his surroundings.

“This is probably where Mr. Close Cropped Hair sent us so we can learn our true natures and confront them,” mused Hinata.

They stood up and, in response, the fog started getting thicker. They shuffled closer; Kenma opened his mouth to tell them not to leave by themselves, when a brown head became visible through the fog. 

Kageyama froze.

The brown-haired boy started walking deeper into the forest. Hinata lifted a hand to stop Kageyama from following him just as his friend stepped into the mist and away from them.

Hinata did not hesitate. When Kageyama started running away, Hinata ran after him. 

Kenma cursed under his breath and followed Shouyou.

“Kageyama!” shouted Hinata, hand stretched outwards towards his best friend.

The boy ignored him.

Suddenly, Hinata tripped on a root and hit the ground. Kenma stopped next to him, helping the boy up.

When they were standing up again, Kageyama was nowhere to be seen.

The fog was starting to get thicker and Hinata was shaking.

Guilt ate away at Kenma’s gut. It was his fault Kageyama had just been drawn away from them, but Hinata said nothing. 

“He’s getting picked off so he can be tested, isn’t he?” realized Hinata out loud. Relief washed over Kenma and he nodded.

The calm did not last for long. A small, orange-haired figure stepped out of the fog and stopped in front of Hinata, some distance away.

“...Natsu?” he whispered, eyes wide.

“Nii-chan,” she smiled warmly. “I’m not real. Demons don’t have families,” she said, her smile small and sad. “But you know that already, don’t you?”

“I…” whimpered Hinata, body going limp as he slumped forward and kneeled in the mud. “I know.”

Two other figures came from behind Natsu, older and also orange-haired. They put their hands on Natsu’s shoulders.

“You will never have a family,” said the father.

“We will never exist,” continued the mother, tears trickling down her cheeks.

“I… _I know that already!_ ” Hinata shouted as he sobbed, head lowered. “Just leave me-” he stopped as he looked up to see that his family had disappeared. “-alone…” Tears were rolling freely down his cheeks now.

He covered his face with mud-stained hands. His face was covered with dirt when he took them away and stood up. Kenma just stood by his side, unsure what he’d be able to do to support his friend.

Gathering his courage, the blonde opened his mouth to say- what, he didn’t know. That was when an unnaturally white feather fell from the sky, landing at his feet.

_Oh no._

_Oh **no**._

“I’m not here to take the test!” he shouted to the sky, fear filling him as the feathers kept falling. As soon as he said it, the feathers abruptly stopped descending and he allowed himself a sigh of relief.

He turned to look at Hinata, who was staring at him strangely. The demon shook his head and looked away, saying nothing.

All of a sudden, it was like an invisible arrow had hit the boy in the back and Shouyou was on the ground, gasping. Three faceless shadows surrounded him, holding him down as his form flickered from a younger version of himself to the present one. He whimpered, the sound full of despair.

Kenma kneeled next to him, fear digging its claws in as Hinata started sobbing.

“Shouyou. _Shouyou,_ it’s not real. Fight it,” he murmured, placing a hand on Hinata’s shoulder as the boy trembled.

The shadows laughed and the sound was surprisingly child-like. Kenma froze as the realization hit him. This was real. This had happened to Shouyou as a kid.

“Hold him down!” laughed one of them, holding up a saw. The other two kids laughed back, tightening their hold on Hinata. “Let’s see if he’s any less of a freak without these!”

Obsidian-black wings sprouted from Hinata’s back as he screamed.

Kenma’s eyes widened, but he did not remove his hand from Hinata’s shoulder.

The shadow approached Shouyou’s horns with the saw. Kenma cursed and closed his eyes, doing what he had sworn he would never do: the perfect recipe for his secret being found out. 

He used his healing powers. 

The white sphere engulfed him and Shouyou, washing away the three shadows and calming down the demon, stopping his screaming. The boy just leaned forward, head lowered as he sobbed.

His tears were bloody as they hit the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [deep inhale]...ahh yes, the pain


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't think i am going to update this fic for a while, since i have three others that i'm updating regularly, _plus_ exams that i should probably be studying for
> 
> if you're enjoying this, please leave a comment

The sunlight was glaringly bright as Kenma and Hinata stepped out of the woods, the demon’s wings having disappeared some time ago. Kenma shyly patted Shouyou’s arm, who looked at him with eyes devoid of the despair he had been drowning in earlier.

“Are you OK?” asked the blonde, his eyes searching Hinata’s for any kind of hidden sadness.

The orange-haired boy nodded, his smile small but sincere. His shape wasn’t flickering anymore and his shoulders seemed deprived of the weight that had visibly burdened him the previous days.

“I feel much better now,” Hinata said. His eyes darted around the clearing, probably hoping to glimpse his still-missing best friend.

They spotted Kageyama leaning against a tree a bit further off, arms crossed and features as serious as always. His eyes didn’t have the haunted look they’d had in the forest as he looked up at them, but Kenma thought he glimpsed a flicker of sadness in them, before the demon masked it with a yell as Hinata lunged for him.

“How-” a punch “-dare-” a kick to the shin “-you-” a smack to the back of the head “leave like that!” yelled Hinata, his face scrunched up in anger and worry.

“Sorry, I thought I’d seen someone I knew,” he said, batting away the thoughts of brown hair, caramel eyes and smug smirks.

Hinata seemed to guess exactly who his friend had seen, so he stopped his abuse and adopted an expression full of sadness.

“You saw _him_ , didn’t you,” he murmured, looking at the ground. His head suddenly snapped up and he was shouting, startling Kageyama from his dejection. “Well, forget him! A damn bastard, he is! Let’s go and meet with the rest, Kageyama!” Suddenly he was walking away, stomping angrily as he fumed.

They started walking towards the meeting place with Karasuno, the two not talking anymore about _him_ , only bickering, the starting point being when Hinata’s height didn’t allow him to climb a boulder and Kageyama had to help him up.

After a couple of hours, they reached the meeting place. Nishinoya was the first to notice them, rising from his crouched position and running up to them, laughing as he saw Hinata’s non-flickering form.

“You did it, you two! I knew you could!” he exclaimed, hands on his hips as he threw his head back and guffawed.

“Kenma,” said Kuroo from behind Nishinoya, strangely serious.

“...yeah?”

“We need to go,” he said, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “ _She_ knows we’re here.”

It took Kenma a few seconds to realize who his friend was talking about.He froze, letting out a surprised ‘oh’.

“Wait, what?” whined Hinata when he heard Kuroo. “You need to leave?”

Under normal circumstances, Shouyou’s pout would’ve been enough for Kenma to stay by his side for a couple of months more _at least_.

But this wasn’t a normal circumstance.

“Sorry, Shouyou. Maybe we’ll catch up later, though,” said Kenma as he hurried after the departing Kuroo.

A couple of moments later, he was too far to hear Shouyou’s shout of “We don’t even have a way of contacting each other!”

When they had walked too far from Karasuno for them to hear or see anything, Kenma grabbed Kuroo by the elbow, stopping him.

“How does She know we’re here?” he asked, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“Archangel Alexander must’ve recognized you and told her,” sighed Kuroo, eyes staring up at the sky. “Think we’re far enough now?”

Kenma nodded and Kuroo’s form dissolved into darkness, solidifying into a cougar-shaped shadow. Sighing, Kenma stretched his arms above his head, popping his shoulders in preparation of the transition; it had been a while, after all.

The blonde ignored the knot in his throat as he glanced back at the Karasuno camp, merely a small speck in the distance.

White wings unfurled from Kenma’s back and he took off, Kuroo dissolving into his shadow as the angel and his familiar started their flight back to Heaven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> i made a discord server! if anyone wants to chat, they're more than welcome to join!!  
> [this](https://discord.gg/GFkU4cr) is the link, or you can just copy this text:  
> https://discord.gg/GFkU4cr

**Author's Note:**

> comments brighten up my day and kudos are always welcome!


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